AKV/ Board Walk Villas and disabled

[sara mom]

Hi all! We just joined DVC in Novemeber and are planning our first trip in August. It looks like we are going to do 4 nights at Kidani in a 1 bedroom (savannah) and 5 nights at BoardWalk in a 2 bedroom (standard). We are taking my dad who has emphysema and has a difficult time walking long distances (no, he is not doing the parks). No scooter for him either....keeping him ambulatory as long as possible. I have read some posts about the long walks at Boardwalk. Are there certain areas I can request due to his medical condition? He will be renting a vehicle, so being near a parking lot would be good.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hi all! We just joined DVC in Novemeber and are planning our first trip in August. It looks like we are going to do 4 nights at Kidani in a 1 bedroom (savannah) and 5 nights at BoardWalk in a 2 bedroom (standard). We are taking my dad who has emphysema and has a difficult time walking long distances (no, he is not doing the parks). No scooter for him either....keeping him ambulatory as long as possible. I have read some posts about the long walks at Boardwalk. Are there certain areas I can request due to his medical condition? He will be renting a vehicle, so being near a parking lot would be good.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Even the parking lot can be a hike at BWV. Unless you valet park, then the car is driven right up to the door and you go from there. You probably want something near the elevator because there is only one elevator bank.

 

[drusba]

The risk at Boardwalk is that you could get a room far from the lobby and, if near end of the building, have a very long walk to lobby, bus, pool. In the past, many have moaned repeatedly about the excruciatingly long walks at BWV, and you have obviously read about that suffering.

However, you are also staying at Kidani. If you stay there first and get a room far from the lobby and then move over to BWV and get a room far from lobby you will think that BWV has one of the shortest walks on the face of the earth. You'll feel like you have died and gone to heaven it is so short because the walk from lobby to end rooms at Kidani is the longest walk down an internal hallway in any hotel on earth; it is close to 4 times longer than that excruciatingly long walk that you have heard others complain about at BWV.

Thus, at Kidani, with the information you are providing, you must make a request for "close to lobby." That puts you close to everything -- store, restaurant, community hall, pool, bus stop. You will have excellent savanna view of Sunset savanna which has giraffes. Also, parking at Kidani is ideal, It runs along under the building and no matter where you are you can park fairly close to room because of elevators along the wings.

As for BWV, you can request "close to elevators" as there is only one block of elevators and it is just off the lobby. Getting that request puts you close to entrance and pool and the shortest walk to the boardwalk itself and not far from bus stop which is actually on the BWI side. If you are self-parking at Boardwalk you will have a trek from car to room.

 

[jekjones1558]

FYI,
I am guessing that your dad may have a hanging handicap license tag for his car. Be sure to bring it along. Valet parking at all Disney resorts is free for handicapped and it very handy to have at Downtown Disney and other places. If he does not yet have one of these tags it would be a good idea to get one before the trip. WDW is a big place, including some of the parking lots.

 

[raenyny]

My dad has arthritis in both hips we requested close to lobby when booking our AKV Kidani trip in February...they were the furthest you can be...he had a scooter but we ordered it to arrive the next day and when they showed my parents on the map my mom told them he couldn't walk it...they said they had an in house wheel chair and would assist them...nobody did no wheel chair was available...they started walking with bell services to their room when they had to stop and return to the lobby because he couldn't walk any further...after many many phone calls to member services and our guide finally they gave them a room close to the lobby..just be aware a request is only a request